Backband



Nov. 26, 1929. P. GIDEON w 2 sneetsshe' 3 I I amen 01 W F? om WWI.

Filed Feb 1, 1929 I" W I Z 1 1 as 7 l Patented Nov. 26, 1929 WILLIAM P. GIDEON, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA BACKBAND Application 'filed February 1, 1929. Serial No. 336,802.

are suspended from its ends and allow the hooks to be vertically adjusted to accommodate themselves to the size of the horse and properly support the tugs.

Another object of the invention is to pro Vide the back strap with sets of hook-supporting eyes disposed one above another and thereby not only allow the hooks to be vertically adjusted but also allow a hook to be temporarily suspended in :a set of hooks not ordinarily used in case the eyes in which it is usually supported should become worn through. By this arrangement use ofth'e back strap can be continued when the eyes become broken until a new back strap can be obtained 'orthe broken eyes repaired.

Another object of the invention is to so formth'e hook that it will be very well supported and prevented from slipping out of engagement withits supporting eyes.

Another object of the invention is to allow.

thesup'porting eyes to be formed from strips of material folded and applied to the back strap and cause the eyes to be very firmly secured.

' IEhe invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure .1 is :a view in front elevation show:v ing anend portion of a back strap havlng eyes applied thereto in accordance with this invention and one of the improved hookssuspended from the upper eyes Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1,

3 is a perspective viewfof the hook shown in rigs. '1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but show ing a modified form of hook,

Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modified manner of forming the'eye, and

the. numeral Leonsists of an elongated strip of flexible material, such as strong canvas,

Fi 6 is a perspective view of the hook and may be of any length desired according to the size of an animal to which it is to'be applied. This back strap has ea'ohe-nd portion-provided with eyes in which hooks are to be engaged but since the two end portions of the back strap-have eyes of a'dnplicate construoti-on from which similar hooks are supported only one end portion of the back strap has been illustrated. The eyes may be for-med assh'own inFig. 2 or as shown in Fig. 5 and from selected eyes'may be suspended hooks which may be constructed, as shown in Figs. land 3 or as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. In either form illustrated, there has been provided upper and lower eyes to be-sele'ctively engaged by the hook and, therefore, the hooks suspended from the ends of the back strap may bevertically usted if found necessary or if the eyes in which a hook is suspended should become worn through the hook may be transferred to another set of eyes and temporarily supported therein until the broken eyes are repaired or replaced.

Each of the lower eyes 2 shown iii-Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a stripof strong canvas or other suitable material and this strlp is folded to form an eye which may be reinforced by a leather liner 3." lhe end portions ofthe strip project upwardly from the eye to provide an attaching shank having inner and outer layers 4 and 5 which are stitched to the back stra and it should be noted thatthe outer layer is of greater length than the inner layer and extends upwardly therefrom with its upper portion disposed in flat con- L tact-ing engagement with the back strap. Each of the upper eyes 7 also consists of a strip of canvas of a width corresponding to the strip from which the lower eye is formed, and this strip is folded intermediate its ends to form the eye which may also be reinforced by a leather iiner Ssimilar to the liner 3. The end portions of the (strip from which the upper eye is formed: extend upwardly from this eye toprovide an attaching shank disposed in flat contacting engagement with the extended upper'en-d portion 6 and having inner and outer layers 9 and 10 which are secured by stitching, as shown in Fig. 1. The stitching passes through the layers '6, 9 and 10 and also to the back strap independently o the layers 9 and 10. The layer 10 projectsupwardly above the layer 9 and is folded back upon itself, as shown at 11 in Fig. 2. By this arrangement the extended upper portion of the layer 10 will impart added strength when 1t is sewed to the back strap and in addition it will add to the appearance of the back strap and prevent likelihood of-the upper ends of the layers 6, 9 and 10 accidentally catching if the back strap is carelessly handled and being torn loose.

The hook, which is shown in perspective in Fig. 3, is formed of strong metal and consists of a strand or rod bentintermediateits ends and shaped to define a bill 12 having arms 13 extending therefrom. The bill and arms are curved to provide a substantially circular hook in which traces may be engaged without being liable to slip out of engagement with a hook. After the arms 13 have been formed the end portions of the rod or strand are bent to form hangers 14 which are of sutficient length to extend through companion eyes 2 or 7 and suspend the hook between the eyes. The extreme ends of the hangers are bent downwardly, as shown at 15, thereby providing abutments which engage the eyes, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and will serve very effectively to prevent the hangers from slipping longitudinally out of proper engagement with the eyes. It will thus be seen that the hook is so formed that it may be suspended from a selected set of eyes and when in place its hangers will be prevented from accidentally slipping out of engagement with the eyes and serve to support. the hook in its proper position between the eyes.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, there has been shown a modified form of hook and also a modified manner of formingv the eyes. Instead of forming the upper and lower eyes from separate strips of canvas, a single strip is employed and foldedto form the two eyes. This strip has one end portion folded upon itself to form a lower eye 16-reinforced by a leather liner 17 and having an attaching portion or shank extending upwardly therefrom consisting of inner and outer layers 18 and 19 which are sewed to the back strap. The

' outer layer 19 extends upwardly above the inner layer, as shown at 20, and is then folded downwardly and back upon itself to form an 7 upper eye 21 reinforced by a leather liner 22 and an attaching portion or shank having inner and outer layers 23 and 24. The outer layer 24 extends upwardly above the extended end portion 20 of the outer layer '19 of the attaching shank for the lower eye and is folded inwardly, as shown at 25, for flat contacting engagement with the back strap.

' The strip may. be folded to form both the upper and lower eyes before it is applied to the back strap and secured by stitches or the attaching shank of the lower eye may be first stitched and the strip then folded to form the upper eye and its attaching shank and the shank of the upper eye'stitched. It will be obvious that additional eyes may be formed by using a strip of greater length and properly folding itbut only two sets of eyes have. been illustrated as in most cases additional eyes are not necessary.

The hook shown in Fig. 6 is formed from a rod or strand similar to the one from which the hook shown in Fig.3 is formed, and this rod is bent intermediate its ends and shaped 4- Q 1 LO form a curved b1ll 26 from which arms 27 extend in diverging relation to each other. f

upon themselves to provide hangers 29 corresponding to the hangers 14 and terminating in depending fingers or abutments 30 corresponding to the fingers 15. This hook is ap plied as shown in Fig. 4 and when the hangers 29 are passed through a selected set of eyes the portions 28 extend beneath the eyes and serve very effectively to retain the hook in its proper position while the fingers or abutments 8O serve to prevent the arms from slipping out of the eyes. It will be obvious that either the hook shown in Fig. 3

or that shown in Fig. 6 may be used with eyes formed either as shown in Fig. 2 or in Fig. 5. If the eyes in which the hangers are engaged should wear through, the hook may be transferred from one set of eyes to another andwhen repairs are to be made it is merely V necessary to rip the strip forming the torn eye from the back band and after folding a new strip apply it to the back band and sew it into place.

Having thus described the invention, 1

claim: 7

1. A back strap comprising an elongated body of pliable material, strips applied to said body in transversely spaced relation to each other and folded to provide eyes disposed one above another, the eyes of one strip. being opposite the eyes. of the other strip, and a hook adapted to be suspendedfrom selected eyes and having a bill portion disposed between the strips and arms extending transversely therefrom to extend through the eyes and having abutmentsat their ends to prevent the arms from slipping out of. the eyes.

2. A back strap comprising an elongated body of pliable material, strips applied to said body in transversely spaced relation to each other and folded to provide eyes dis posed one above another, and a hook adapted to be suspended from selected eyes and having a bill portion and arms, the arms being passed through the eyes and having their ends bent to form abutments to engage the eyes and prevent the arms from slipping out of the eyes.

8. A back strap comprising an elongated body of pliable material, strips applied to said body in transversely spaced relation to each other and folded to provide eyes disposed one above another, the eyes of one strip being opposite the eyes of the other strip, and a hook adapted to be suspended from selected eyes and consisting of a strand bent to form a bill having arms diverging therefrom, the end portions of the strand being bent to extend towards each other from the arms and then upwardly and outwardly to form hangers adapted to be passed through the eyes and having their ends bent down to form abutment fingers to engage the eyes and prevent the hangers from slipping out of the eyes. I

4. A back strap comprising an elongated body of pliable material, strips spaced from each other transversely of the body and each formed with a plurality of folds defining eyes disposed one above another with portions extending upwardly from the eyes and secured to the body with the upper eye overlying the upwardly extending portion of the lower eye, and a hook having suspending means engaged in selected eyes and adapted to be transferred from one set of eyes to another.

5. A back strap comprising an elongated body of pliable material, strips spaced from each other transversely of the body and each having its lower portion doubled to form a lower eye having an attaching portion extending upwardly therefrom against said body consisting of inner and outer layers, the outer layer extending above the inner layer and the strip being again folded downwardly and upwardly to form an upper eye overlying the attaching portion of the lower eye and having an attaching portion formed with an inner layer and an outer layer extending upwardly above its inner layer and folded inwardly against the body, the attaching portions of said eyes being firmly secured against each other and to the body, and a hook having suspending means engaged through selected eyes of the strips.

6. A back strap comprising an elongated body of pliable material, sets of upper and lower eyes spaced from each other transversely of the body, and a hook having suspending means engaged through selected eyes to suspend the hook from the eyes in determined relation to an end of the body, the lower eye of each set consisting of a strip folded to form an eye having an attaching portion extending upwardly therefrom against the body and having an inner layer and an outer layer projecting upwardly above the inner layer, and the upper eye of each set consisting of a strip folded to form an eye overlying the attaching portion ofthe lower eye fitting against the body above the upper end of the outer layer of the attaching portion of the lower eye.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM P. GIDEON. [n s] and an attaching portion having an inner 

